Grow Your Own Food
During the Great Depression, nearly every household kept a victory garden to help sustain them when they had no money to buy other food with. And no vegetables or fruits from it ever went to waste. They were all preserved by either canning or drying them. Even though food is more readily available today, it is very expensive, and it takes up a good portion of the income in a budget plan. So it makes sense to try to reduce the amount that has to be purchased by growing it yourself instead. Anyone can have a vegetable or herb garden, even if they live in a tiny apartment. Plants can be kept in a windowsill or on a small stand near a window. It also helps to get together with other gardeners to share produce, so you can have a more varied diet.
Buy in Bulk
Buying the supplies that you need in bulk will save you hundreds of dollars a year. That is because companies give a deep discount to people who buy more of their products, since it reduces their packaging and manufacturing costs. The best products to buy in bulk include:
-Toilet paper
-Shampoo and Conditioner
-Soap
-Food staples with a long shelf life
Reuse, Repair, and Repurpose
Nothing went to waste in the Great Depression era. Clothing was worn until it had holes in it. Then, the holes were repaired with patches. The same was done with blankets and sheets. Some women cut their sheets down the middle when they were worn out. Then, they put the good portion in the center before stitching the pieces back together. This might sound extreme, but it saved them a ton of money. Many household items can be fixed or repurposed into something else to get more life out of them. For example, tin cans make great organizers. And leftover aluminum foil is great for scrubbing pots and pans.
Barter Instead of Paying
If you have any special skills or products that you can offer, you can barter them for things that you need. For instance, if you love refinishing furniture as a hobby, you might trade your services to a person who is a mechanic. That way, you can get your car fixed for free. Or the extra clothes that you can't wear could get traded for a supply of homemade jam. If you don't know anyone to barter with, try checking online. Many websites help connect people who want to barter for services and products.
Stay Home
One of the easiest expenses to cut back on in a budget plan is entertainment because it isn't a necessity. Each time that someone goes somewhere, it takes gas and money to get there. This adds up after a while. So the more time that a person spends at home, the more they save. This doesn't mean that you have to be bored though. Many women who lived during the Great Depression spent their extra time making things to keep them busy. For example, rags were torn into long strips and turned into braided rugs. And feed sacks from chicken scratch were sewn into dresses for little girls.